Music teacher recruitment ‘not good enough’ 

The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) has labelled secondary music teacher recruitment as “not good enough” after the Department for Education revealed that it only reached 27% of its target.

The target for trainee music teachers has only been reached once in the last 10 years (in 2020/21). Before this year, the previous low was 64% in 2022/23, when 301 teachers were recruited against a target of 470.

For 2023/24, the government set a higher target of 790, which it missed by more than two-thirds. Overall, the government missed its target for all secondary teacher recruitment by 50 per cent this year.

The government published its National Plan for Music Education in 2021, outlining its vision for music education in England until 2030 and announcing that £25m would be available to schools to purchase instruments and equipment.

Last month, DfE announced that trainee music teachers at secondary level will be entitled to a bursary of £10,000 from September 2024 after previously axing the support in 2020.

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts said: “Meeting just 27% of the secondary music trainee teacher recruitment target is dire and simply not good enough from the government.

“A career as a music teacher can be hugely rewarding, and our teachers make an enormous difference to the lives of their students.

“The government must urgently look at the decline of music in schools due to accountability measures, the EBacc and Progress 8, as well as the pay of teachers as current policies have led to this situation where would-be teachers are put off. 

“The government set out ambitious plans for music in the refreshed National Plans for Music Education; however, without the workforce to deliver it, those plans will never be realised, and the teaching of music may disappear in schools. All this will damage the education our students receive, our music sector and the precious talent pipeline.”